Dartagnon Everettdean Burns, 45, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty on April 11 to distribution and possession of child pornography, according to a May 12 announcement by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address the exploitation of children online. The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice that aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
According to public records, an undercover agent with Homeland Security Investigations began communicating with Burns on December 10, 2025 through an online application on the dark web. During these conversations, Burns expressed interest in sexually assaulting a fictitious child created by law enforcement and shared child sexual abuse material with the agent. He also claimed he had abused other children and provided his phone number during their exchanges. Law enforcement used this information to identify and arrest Burns on December 11, 2025.
A federal grand jury charged Burns in January with distributing child pornography as well as possessing and accessing material containing such content. Prosecutors said that at his plea hearing in April, Burns admitted using his cell phone for these activities and possessing devices containing images depicting prepubescent children.
At sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled, Burns faces up to forty years in federal prison and fines up to $500,000; there is a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for these crimes. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Childhood brings together resources from U.S. Attorney’s Offices along with state and local agencies "to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet" as well as identify victims; more information can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma enforces federal laws across its jurisdiction—including community safety initiatives like Project Safe Childhood—and covers forty counties within western and central Oklahoma as part of the United States Department of Justice according to the official website.
